Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
She doesn’t pull away or get embarrassed but laughs. She’s onto me, and I won’t be able to lie. I’m captivated by her ass cheeks. Placating me, she lets me take two handfuls and squeeze to my heart’s content. “Brandon, what’s the good news?”
“Oh right. That was my captain. Excuse me, new fire chief.”
“Tony got a promotion?” I sometimes forget how small this town really is. Everyone knows everyone. It’s also a reminder that I’m still at a disadvantage and unable to remember the one person I want to the most. “Reggie is retiring at the end of the month, so he finally passed the baton and promoted Tony.”
She rubs her hands along the tops of my legs and arches toward me to kiss my chin. “That is good news.”
“It is, but not the news I was referring to.”
Autumn drags her nails lightly over my stomach, resting the other on my chest. I love that she can’t keep her hands off me either. She asks, “What was the good news?”
I run the back of my fingers over her cheek, still amazed I get to do this with her. “Yours truly is getting a key to the city.”
“That’s exciting.” A smile blossoms, harnessing in the sunshine just for us. It’s becoming easier to forget life exists outside of this. She’s quick to steal a kiss and lean back on her heels again. “I’m so proud of you, Lieutenant.”
Taking her hand, I kiss her palm, closing my eyes for just a beat longer to relish the bond and wonder if I should lead her back down the hall. How am I supposed to function like a normal human being when I have a goddess with nothing underneath her T-shirt standing before me. She says, “Name the time and place, and I’ll be there.”
Something tells me if I ask real nicely, she’ll meet me back in my bedroom again.
I blink, reeling my thoughts back in from the bedroom. She’ll be at the ceremony, Brandon. Pride wells in my chest, and I rest my chin on the top of her head as I accept what I always wanted. Someone to celebrate with, to share my life with. Her entire identity is helping others, but I see the way she doesn’t prioritize herself. I want to do that for her, too.
“I’ll let you know.”
I have all the privacy anyone could dream of on this mountain, but the loneliness is sometimes louder than the peace. She has no privacy, tiptoeing around a house full of women, but her bedroom is a living time capsule. I can change that. I want her with me. I want to give her the space she deserves to call her own.
I work all the fucking time, but it wasn’t until she’s been here that I realized why. I built an amazing home, but I don’t want to be here alone.
So when I asked her if this was real, it wasn’t because I’m losing touch with reality. It’s because I needed it to sink in. I’m now convinced that she was brought here not only to nurse me to better health but also to heal a part of me that I hadn’t felt in years. My heart.
There’s still a missing link to contend with—my memory of her.
I hop off the barstool when she heads into the kitchen. While she grabs a glass from the cabinet, I give her space, keeping the peninsula between us. It’s not a fun topic to broach, but I need answers since my memories haven’t been recovered. “Don’t you find it interesting that the one person I can’t remember is the main person in my life?”
“Good thing you saved that dog.”
“I was kind of meaning on a bigger scale, more existential.”
She flicks on the faucet and fills the glass. I see the ideas turning in her eyes and watch as she gets lost in her thoughts for a moment. When she looks at me, she asks, “Like?”
“Like fate, or however you want to look at it.”
She shuts off the faucet and takes a sip, seeming to need more time to ponder the concept. “I didn’t know you believed in that stuff.”
Scratching the back of my neck, I scoff. “Me either, but maybe there’s something to it.”
“I don’t really believe in coincidences.”
“If you don’t believe in coincidences, you believe I’ve forgotten you for a reason. What would that reason be?”
“Let me just state upfront that I took this job for professional reasons that had nothing to do with you.” She takes a sip, but when she lowers the glass, she holds it with both hands as if she needs a lifeline. “So I didn’t come in here thinking I’d sleep with you when I signed on.”
“I would hope not,” I joke, though even I can admit it’s not funny.
At least that wins me a half-hearted laugh. “Trust me, I know some who might have if they got a look at you.” She takes another quick sip as if her throat is dry, and then clears it. “What I mean is I didn’t come here with ulterior motives. I only came to help you, and it did help me out of a sticky situation. Mutually beneficial.”